Killing Intent! (Seeking Daily Reads)

"Little brother, why have you only just returned? Your elder brother and our guest have been waiting until we're quite impatient," Zhao Ke said, turning his head with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

If this were before, he might have feared Zhao An by eight or nine parts, but now he had nothing to fear.

He was merely a guide; the person he had thrown his lot in with behind the scenes was the true master.

"Big brother has been a bit tight on cash lately. We are brothers by blood, after all, so I just wanted to borrow a little. Don't blame me, don't blame me." Seeing Zhao An return, Zhao Ke didn't rush to drop his blade.

He looked toward the disheveled, unkempt man beside him, his attitude exceptionally respectful: "This is my own younger brother, the number one on the county's Martial List this year!"

"His strength is decent. Using him as an inside man couldn't be more appropriate, and he can still enter and exit the County Magistrate's manor to meet that new magistrate."

The disheveled man heard this and stood up straight, his gaze having already landed on Zhao An.

"His features are even better than yours; truly a handsome and extraordinary young man. Not bad at all." The man grinned, and the several deep scars on his face twisted like living centipedes as his muscles twitched.

The way the man looked at him made Zhao Ke shudder, a wave of inexplicable revulsion rising in his heart. He couldn't help but groan inwardly—did this Third Master of the Black Wind Stronghold have some sort of peculiar hobby?

"Damn that Lu Yixiu!" Zhao Ke felt helpless, but if he wanted to survive, he had no way out now.

"Little brother, you likely don't recognize me. I am Yang Yi, the third in command among the kings of the Black Wind Stronghold." The man didn't hide anything, revealing his true identity directly to Zhao An.

"Don't be nervous. I didn't come here today to be your enemy, but to seek cooperation."

"Once we occupy the entire Lianjiang County in the future, you will have performed a great service. High official positions, generous stipends, fertile land, and family estates—all will be yours."

Yang Yi didn't care whether Zhao An agreed or not; he launched straight into his pitch, painting a grand picture to win him over.

"The Black Wind Stronghold was wiped out long ago. You still harbor delusions of occupying the city?" Zhao An asked in return, slowly drawing his precious blade, Clear Water.

"The Black Wind Stronghold is gone, but the army of the Moon People will arrive before long. Tell me, can I occupy this county city then?" Yang Yi sneered.

"When that time comes, I will use the County Magistrate's head to toast my banner!"

"If you are sensible, you might still live; otherwise, you are walking a path to death!"

Zhao An understood: the leader of the Black Wind Stronghold before him had already colluded with the foreign Moon People.

No wonder he dared to return to plot against the county city and take revenge on the County Magistrate.

"Why choose me?" Zhao An asked.

"I need some helpers, and it just so happens that your good elder brother recommended you to me," Yang Yi said.

Zhao An said no more, watching the bright red name hovering above Yang Yi's head, which shone like a giant lamp, exceptionally eye-catching in the night.

He gripped his blade and stepped forward, walking straight toward Yang Yi.

Seeing this, Yang Yi sighed softly, knowing that if he didn't beat Zhao An into submission tonight, it would be impossible to make him compromise.

"Kid, I understand being young and vigorous, but don't think that being a mere first-place in the martial examinations makes you invincible under the heavens!"

Yang Yi stretched out a large hand, and Zhao Ke very sensibly handed over the Official Blade he was holding.

That day, when he had followed the County Commandant up the mountain for the first suppression of the bandits, he had witnessed with his own eyes just how formidable the kings of the Black Wind Stronghold were.

They cut down County Soldiers like chopping melons and vegetables; several military officers with battle honors had died at their hands.

Later, it was this very Yang Yi who had held them off single-handedly, causing their reinforcements to the county city to be delayed and leading to a great disaster, resulting in the County Commandant being thrown into prison.

He felt that among the martial artists in the county city, few could rival this Third Master of the Black Wind Stronghold!

Even ten of him tied together would be no match for the man!

With the long blade in hand, a chilling aura seemed to awaken, instantly radiating from his body and surging toward Zhao An.

The previously unremarkable beggar-like appearance vanished, instantly replaced by the image of an evil ghost crawling out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, terrifying to behold!

"The aura of battlefield slaughter..." Zhao An subconsciously held his breath.

The predecessor to the Black Wind Stronghold was a roving band of defeated soldiers, and the kings within the stronghold were naturally former military commanders who had led troops.

Having been baptized by the battlefield, these commanders carried a natural sense of oppression.

They had seen too much life and death and naturally disregarded life; they were true demons of slaughter, completely incomparable to ordinary martial artists of the jianghu.

Suddenly, Killing God activated!

Yang Yi lunged forward, his explosive speed incredibly fast, covering the distance of several zhang in an instant.

The long blade traced a half-moon of cold light, slashing diagonally toward Zhao An's head.

Zhao An's eyes were cold and his expression calm; he showed not a hint of panic, advancing instead of retreating, meeting the blade head-on.

Clang!

Sparks flew from the clashing blades as two immense forces collided.

The aura of slaughter on Yang Yi's body failed to intimidate Zhao An, and more importantly, his blade couldn't press down even an inch!

Yang Yi widened his eyes slightly; his eye sockets were bruised and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Zhao An from close range.

This kid looked like a novice, yet he wasn't afraid of the fierce Sha aura on his body at all, and his strength was actually able to contend with his own—this was truly rare.

"Hard-body training, not bad!" Yang Yi saw the clue at a glance.

But the next moment, he realized something was wrong.

The force pushing back against him grew heavier and heavier, and then, it actually sent him flying, blade and all.

Yang Yi flipped in mid-air and landed steadily; without a doubt, Zhao An's strength far exceeded what he had anticipated!

He had no time to dwell on it, for a fierce wind swept toward him as Zhao An's blade whistled through the air, the sound of the steel ringing like a tiger's roar.

The flawless, perfected blade technique was unleashed to its limit, catching Yang Yi off guard the moment they exchanged blows.

Not only was his hard-body cultivation formidable, possessing strength enough to shatter the heavens, but his blade mastery had also reached the pinnacle of perfection!

With these two factors combined, Yang Yi was forced onto the back foot right after their first exchange!

Yet, he was one of the Black Wind Stronghold's trump cards; once he cast aside his internal contempt, this battle was destined to be the toughest Zhao An had faced since he began his martial journey!

It was significantly more intense than the encounter with Guo Fenglin, who had broken into his small courtyard earlier!

Yang Yi clearly possessed a set of military blade techniques that were equally domineering, and in terms of finesse, they were superior to the Fierce Tiger Blade Art Zhao An had mastered.

The methodical, step-by-step blade style was airtight; a single blade felt like an entire military formation arrayed before Zhao An, surrounding him on all sides.

Zhao An's eyes were sharp, his blood and qi surging; every strike carried the weight of a thousand jun, wide and sweeping, devoid of excessive tricks or flowery movements.

Yang Yi held the advantage in the grade of his blade technique and the depth of his internal breath, while Zhao An held the advantage in the perfection of his technique and the boundless strength of his tempered muscles.

They battled for over a dozen rounds, unable to determine a victor.

Zhao An did not want to drag this out; with a flick of his right hand, the long blade in his grip shot toward Yang Yi's face.

This Flying Dagger Art had yielded miraculous results for Zhao An in the past.

Unfortunately, this opponent possessed the experience of a hundred battles and was not caught off guard; as if he could discern position by sound, he managed to deflect the incoming blade with his own weapon even before his feet were firmly planted.

The moment Zhao An threw the blade, he exerted force through his feet, unleashing the Roaming Body Steps to follow closely behind the weapon, his fists leading the charge.

The unarmed combat skills he had learned were now superior to his Fierce Tiger Blade Art; having a blade in hand actually prevented him from unleashing his full potential.

Ridge-Splitting Peak-Crushing!

The Mountain Crushing Fist was unleashed with ferocity, the rigid force penetrating through his arms as his fists struck like heavy hammers.

Caught off guard, Yang Yi was sent staggering by Zhao An's savage punch, forced to retreat step by step.

Zhao An utilized the Roaming Body Steps to stick to him like a shadow; this Eighth-Grade Movement Technique was perfectly suited for such close-quarters entanglement.

Once he closed the distance, there was no escaping him!

Zhao An's figure was ghostly; after closing in, he suddenly transformed his hand into a finger and struck Yang Yi's arm.

Internal breath surged from his fingertips—Acupoint-Sealing Finger!